Improvement in machines for skiving boot and shoe counters



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, H. s. v'nooMAN. Machine for Skiving Boot and Sho'e Counters.

Patented Feb. 27,1872.

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H. S. VROOMAN.

Machine for Skiving Boot and Shoe Counters.`

No. 124,098. u Pal-med Feb. 27, 1872.

WM Y 07,/ CH/@am AM. Mora-urhos/MM/c ca. ux l osa/:Mrk moms] TATEs l HENRY S. VROOMAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR SKIVING BOOT AND SHOE COUNTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,098, dated February 27, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. VRooMAN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Machines for Skiving Boot and Shoe Counters, Sto.; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies andforms part of this speciiication, is a description of my invention sufcient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

My invention relates to the organization of machines for skiving counters, 85e.; and consists principally in so hanging or pivoting a skiving-knife to the frame of the machine near the ed geguide, that the point or outermost end ofthe cuttin g-edge of the knife shall automatically rise or fall proportionately to the thickness of the material being cut, while the inner portion ofthe knife remains vertically the same; in a provision for readily varying the width of the scarf and in certain details of construction or organization of the mechanism.

The drawing represents a machine embodying my improvement. A shows the machine in front elevation. B and O are opposite side elerations of it. D is a vertical section. E is a plan of it.

a b denote two uprights, extending from a bed-plate, c, and having at top a cross-plate, d, integral with them. Under one side of this plate an arm, e, is pivot-ed, as seen at f, this arm extendin g under the plate, and having journaled in its front part a shaft, g, carrying at one end a toothed feed-wheel, h, and at its opposite end a gear, t, driven by a pinion, L', on a crank-handle shaft, l. From the under side ofthe plate d (at the free or movable end of the arm e) a screw-pin, m, extends down through a slot, a, in the arm, and under this slot is'a nut-threaded wheel, o, working on the screw-pin. By turning the wheel upon the screw the arm e is forced up toward the plate d, and with it the shaft g and feed-wheel h to any desired distance from the cutting-edge of a skiving-knife or cutter. This cutter is immovably fastened to astock or block, p,the cutter having a slot, q, through which the attaching-screw r passes 5 but this slot being only to permitthe cutting-edge to be set further forw ard as it is ground away in shaping, or to compensate for wear, so as to maintain it in the same relative position to the top point of the feed- Wheel. The inner ed ge of the cutter shank may set in a groove, a, to keep the inner end of the cutting-edge in position, and the edge of the material to be skived is fed over the top of the wheel h, and between the wheel and a presser-foot, o, the wheel presenting the leather to the action of the knife. The stock p is hung upon a screw-pin or pivot, w, at such distance above and in such relation to the vertical line of the inner extremity of the cuttingedge of the knife, that when the outer end of the knife is raised or lowered by the stock swiveling upon the pin w, the distance between the inner portion of the cutting-edge of the knife and the feed-wheel h remains the same. An adjustable foot or gauge, z, (adjustable vertically by suitable mechanism) is attached to the front portion of the stock p. This gaugez rests upon the material being skived and determines the elevation or depression of the outer end of the knife. This gaugez is made to bear downward by the stress of a stout spring, s, upon the upper surface of the material, and as the knife and gauge are both attached to the stock or block p, the vertical adjustment of the gauge willraise or lower the outer portion of the cutting-ed ge of the knife and determine the width of the scarf. The lowest extremity of movement of the outer portion of the cutting-edge of the knife is determined by a set-screw, w, the top of the screw striking the shoulder y. Behind the gauge z and in front of the edge guide or ledge a2 is a presser-foot, o, the vertical shank of which is fastened to the front of an arm, c2, pivoted at its rear end to the main frame by a pin, d2. This armis held down so as to cause the presser-foot fv to act upon the material by the stress of a spring, e2, which is made to operate downward upon the arm by means of a hand-wheel, f2, bearing on its upper end, the wheel f 2 having a thread in it and working upon a screw-bolt that passes down through the spring and is fastened at the lower end to the frame of the machine.

1t will thus be s'een that a counter, when.

putin between the feed-wheel and presser-foot, is fed up to the action of the knife and a uniform thickness of skived edge is produced, and a uniform width of scarf is obtained upon all thicknesses of stock or material; and also the thickness of the skived edge of the counter may be varied by turning up or down the nutthreaded wheel o upon the screw-pin m, varying the relation or distance between the knife and the lower feed-wheel. Now, to reverse the action of this machine so as to cause a uniform thickness of skiving to be taken from the grained or hair side of the counter, the presser-foot c, attached to the arm, is adjusted by means of the set-screw g2 to the desired distance above and from the edge of the knife, and the nut-threaded hand-wheel f2 is t-hen turned down on the screw-bolt until it strikes the vertical sleevetube o2 situated between the inner surface of the spring c2 and the central screwbolt, and having its lower end resting upon the arms c2. The presser-foot is thus made immovable, and its vertical distance above the edge of the knife determines the thickness of the skiving taken from the counter, while the lower feed-wheel is released and converted into a presser-wheel, by turning the threaded hand-wheel o downward from the arm c, and then turning up the threaded handwheel p2 on the spindle 7a2, so as to bring the stress of the spring h2, acting from the bed of the machine, up against the arm.

It will thus be seen that through the combination of parts, as shown, boot-counters may first have the tender-grained surface removed, which is generally desirable, so as to produce a thin edge of a stronger substance; and then by reversing the action of the machine, as Shown, and introducing the counter flesh side up, a skiving is taken from the other side so as to leave a uniform thickness of edge. This same result may be produced by having the lower feed-wheel and the knife affixed to the lower part of frame of the machine, and in a fixed relation to each other, so as to chamfer the counter (or other article) to a uniform thickness of edge; and then by removing the knife and attaching it to the arm in a fixed relation to the presser-foot, allowing both the knife and the presser-foot to follow the inequalities of the thickness of the material, causing the knife to remove a skiving of a uniform thickness. But the specific arrangement shown obvia-tes the necessity of changing the position of the knife.v

Instead of using the upper presser-foot alone (performing the double office of feeding and holding the material down infront of the knife to insure cutting a uniform thickness of edge) a narrow upper feed-wheel can be used in combination with and4 occupying a portion of the space of the presser-foot to produce a greater amount of feed-power. In such an arrangement the upper feed-wheel could be driven upon a shaft, connected by gearing, from the rear end of the lower feed-wheel shaft.

I claim- 1. In a machine for skivin g boot-counters or.

other articles having, in combination, a lower feed-wheel and a presser-foot, a swiveling skiving knife or cutter hung to the frame, substantially as described. l

2. In combination with the cutter attache( to the pivoted holder or stock, a gauge-foot, z, arrangedto operate substantial] y as described.

ln combination with a pivoted skiving knife or cutter, an adjustable lower feed or presser wheel, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a pivoted skivin g knife or cutter, an adjustable lower feed or presser wheel and an adjustable upper presser, @,each arranged so that it may act upon the stock by spring pressure, or may be made stationary with relation to the knife or cutter, substantially as described.

HENRY S. VROMAN.

Witnesses FRANCIS GoULD, M. W. FROTHINGHAM. 

